Filing cabinet



F. A. SCHMITZ Nov. 7, 1933- FILING CABINET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 31, 1933 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS F. A. SCHMITZ Nov. 7, 1933.

FILING CABINET Filed March 31, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 7, 1933 UNETED STATES PATENT seine:

FILING CABINET Fred A. Schmitz, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Globe-Wernicke Company, Norwood, Ohio,

a. corporation of Ohio This invention relates to improvements in filing or transfer cases or units, each unit consisting of a cabinet and drawer, the cabinets adapted to be stacked one upon another in a tier and interlocked with each other against lateral and vertical displacement, the interlocking against vertical displacement is generally at the rear ends of the cabinets to prevent the same from tilting under the weight of the drawers when open.

An object of the invention is to provide an in proved filing unit or transfer case of cabinet and drawer, each composed of metallic framing and press or paper board walls or panels possessing the necessary stability and capable of manufacture at a reduction in the cost over an all metal structure. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved filing unit or transfer case capableof sing merchandized in a knock-down condition for compactly packing in a flat package and the parts easily and conveniently assembled by a' invention will be more fully set forth. in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective View of two filing cabinets connected in tier with the drawer of the upper cabinet removed and a portion of the upper cabinet cut away to expose the interior at the rear end thereof.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross section through the cabinet.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on line 33, Figure 1, illustrating the construction details at the front end of the cabinet.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line 4-4,

Figure 1, showing the construction details at the top rear end of the cabinet.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the drawer. Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the drawer and cabinet. I

Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7, Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view of the upper portion of one end of the side panels of the drawer.

Figure 9 is a detail section of a wall panel com: posed of sections of press board, joined by a connecting strip.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the. cabinet of rectangular structure having sheet fibre or paper press board longitudinal sides 22, and top 3 with the base, front and rear ends open. A drawer holding cabinet with closed side and top, and open ends and base, is characteristic to filing and transfer cases, which are stacked one upon another in any selected nurn er for a tier, the cabinets interlocking at their front and rear ends when disposed one on top of another.

The framework for the front and rear ends of the cabinet is of sufiicient stability to sustain the load in stacking several units in a tier, and the units, when stacked at the opposite ends, in-

terlock to prevent displacement when the drawers of the respective units are slid to open position. The structure of the cabinet and drawer provides for merchandizing the unit in a knock-down condition, conveniently and readily assembled for use.

The framework for the front end of the cabinet is of sectional construction of flat metal bar strips consisting of a bottom cross bar 4 having its opposite ends bent upwardly at an angle forming the lowercorners for the frame, and providing a pair of upwardly extending lugs 55 for respectively connecting the vertical side bars or strips 6-6 thereto, preferably at the outer sides of the lugs allowing the lower ends of the side strips to extend beyond or below the plane of the base strip 4. The projecting ends of the side strips each-are shaped to provide a tenon 7 for engaging into a socket or mortise 8 in the upper cross bar or strip 9 as the top section of the front frame of a second unit in stacking the units. The lower end of each side strip or bar is secured to the lug 5 of the base strip or cross bar 4 preferably by means of a screw engaged through and countersunk in the side strip and threaded into the lug 5; A rivet or othertype of fastening means may be employed if the cabinet set up is to, be permanent.

The top cross bar 9 corresponds to the lower or bottom cross bar t in constituting a strip of bar stock having its ends bent at an angle to provide lugs l0-l 0 extending downwardly and overlapping the outer side of the side bars to which the upper cross bar is secured by means of screws or other fastening means and to give the bar an extended length over the lower bar to provide for slotting the top bar with-the slots.88 in regv istry with the tenons of the side bars of asecond unit placed thereon.

The side bars and top cross bar ea h has a channel or came strip 12 formed of sheet metal, spot-welded or otherwise secured to the inner sides of the bars, each to receive an end of a fibre or press board sheet or panel forming a corresponding wall for the cabinet.

The connection provides a slip joint allowing for expansion and contraction of the press board panel, preventing buckling of the board material as well as furnishing asiinple and secure connection in assembling the parts. The frame for the rear end of the cabinet is of a construction similar to that of the frame for the front end and consists of a pair of vertical side bars 1313 of flat bar metal stock having their top ends con necting with a cross bar 14 substantially as for the frame of the front end, the bar at its opposite ends is angled to provide downwardly extending lugs 1515 secured to the outer side of the side bars respectively. The upper cross bar has its opposite ends slotted to provide sockets for the tenons extending from the lower ends of the side bars of the rear frame of a cabinet. The lower cross bar 16 connecting the lower ends of the rear side bars is of angle iron form providing a vertical limb or flange 17 serving as a rear stop or limit for a drawer when inserted within the cabinet. The opposite ends of the lower cross bar are angled for connection with the lower ends of the side bars and secured thereto by screws or other fastening means. 7

The vertical flange or limb of the lower cross bar intermediate of its length is provided with a lateral or horizontally extending tongue 18 for engagement into a slot 19 in an upstanding flange or limb of an angie strip 20 of the cabinet of a second unit when several units are stacked to gether, the interlocking connection securing the stacked units against vertical displacement.

The angle strip 20 for the upper cross bar of the rear frame of the cabinet is preferably formed of sheet metal with one limb thereof fixed to the under side of the cross bar as shown in Figure 4, said limb having its outer longitudinal edge offset and with the cross bar provides a channel space 21 for the reception of the rear end of the top panel or wall 3 for making a slip joint connection with the cross bar. I

The front and rear frames of the cabinet at the corners thereof are joined by longitudinal tie strips 22 of angle iron form, one for each of the four corners of the frames and the opposite ends of the strips are spot-welded or otherwise perinanently secured respectively to the top and bottom cross bars of the frames. The ends of the angle tie strips preferably overlap the inner sides of the cross bars of the frames. The lower angle tie strips each has a second angle strip spotwelded or otherwise secured thereto and located at the inner sides thereof with the vertical limbs of the joined angle strips spaced apart to form a channel for a slip joint connection of the lower edge of a side panel 2. i

The tie strips instead of duplex angle strip construction could be formed of a single strip of sheet metal bent to the proper form, the double layer or ply for the horizontal limbs 23 of the lower tic strips, reinforcing and giving added stability to the limb which serves as a ledge or rail for the drawer inserted within the cabinet. The tie rods connecting the upper corners of the end frames are also of duplex angle strip construction, but the limbs of both are spaced to provide channels correspondingly for the upper edge of a side wall and the longitudinal edge of the top panel. As shown in Figure 2 the second channel strip is provided with an offset bend to form the channel between the two horizontal limbs of the tie strips and the two strips intermediately are welded or otherwise secured together.

A pair of stop lugs 24 each in the form of an angle plate is respectively fixed to the inner side of one of the top tie strips and toward the forward end thereof for limitin the out pull of the drawer.

The filing drawer or receptacle is constructed with press board sides 2525 and bottom 26, the sides of a half-drawer height dimension and at their opposite ends are removably connected to inturned flanges of a front drawer wall 2'! and a rear wall 28, both formed of sheet metal and of a dimension to serve as a closure for the corresponding ends of the cabinet when the draws is inserted therein, this latter feature being common in filing or transfer cases.

The front and rear end walls of the drawer,

-each are marginally flanged inward with the flanging for the top edge either double flanged or roll edged to avoid exposing a thin sheet metal edge, which may result in injury to the user, and to give finish and added strength to the wall free end. The end walls are joined or connected by a pair-of angle strips 29-29 respectively removably fixed to the lower ends of the inturned side flanges of the front and rear walls. The angle strips each are longitudinally corrugated at the juncture of the limbs forming a longitudinal channel for the reception of the lower edge of the side panel or wall of the drawer and a ridge or runner for the outer side of the strip, to slide upon the rail or ledge of the lower tie strips of the cabinet. The bottom panel of the drawer has its margins or edges riveted or otherwise secured to the horizontal limbs ofthe tie strips and its opposite end is supported upon the lower inturned flanges of the opposite end sheet metal walls of the drawer. The side panels or walls are metalbound for their upper edges, the ends of the metal binding each provided with a connecting plate 30 welded thereto, to furnish an end extension of sufficient metal thickness for screw-threading enabling the upper ends of the side walls to be removably secured by screws to the inturned flanges of the sheet metal end walls. A similar method is followed for the opposite ends of the tie rails or strips as these'are formed of sheet metal which would not furnish a sufficient metal thickness for scre=.v-threading.

The cabinet, in its knock-down condition, consists of a rectangular frame section as the bottom of the cabinet of front cross bar a, rear angle cross strip 16 and a pair of longitudinal lower tie strips 20, a top section of front and rear cross bars 9 and 14 connected by a pair of angle tie strips 22, the top panel 3, and the'duplex sections of side panels 22, each at its opposite longitudinal ends carrying the vertical bars of the front and rear frame.

The drawer in the knock-down consists of the front and rear metal walls 27, 28, the duplex sides 2525, metal bound on one longitudinal edge and a bottom panel 26 secured to the angle tie strips 29, 29. The structures of both cabinet and drawer are very simple, easily setup by the user, and in their knock-down condition can be very compactly packaged for storage and shipment.

.As shown in Figure 2, the edges of the offset limbs 31 of the inner pair of the upper tie strips 22 are each providedwith an outturned lap 32 which serve as rails for the top edge of the rear wall 28 of the drawer to bear againstand slide thereon, particularly when the drawer is partially open and the weight of the projecting end of the drawer tilts the rear end of the drawer upwardly.

The various walls of the cabinet and drawer may be made of sections, the sections being clipped together by a channel strip 33 as shown in Figure 9. The strip 33 is clamped to the adjoining edges of the wall sections and has a tendency to bow the Wall outwardly away from possible contact with the drawer should the board material expand in humid atmosphere. Similar results can also be obtained by appropriately scoring one of the face sides of the board material.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A cabinet for a filing case, comprising, front and rear frames, longitudinal angle shaped strips connecting said frames and press board panels respectively for the opposite sides and top of the cabinet, said panels having their margins socketed into channels of said frames, and frame connecting strips.

2. A cabinet for a filing case, comprising, front and rear rectangular frames of fiat bar metal, angle shaped strips connecting said frames at the corners thereof, the strips for the lower corners providing longitudinal slide ways for a drawer inserted within the cabinet and press board panels respectively for the opposite sides and top of the cabinet marginally loosely engaged within channels in said front and rear frames, and connecting strips.

3. A cabinet for a filing case, comprising, front I and rear rectangular frames of flat bar metal, angle shaped strips connecting said frames at the corners thereof, the strips for the lower corners providing longitudinal slide ways for a drawer inserted within the cabinet and press board panels respectively for the opposite sides and top of the cabinet marginally loosely engaged within channels in said front and rear frames, and connecting strips, the strips for the upper sides of the cabinet having a lap along the inner edges providing rails for the rear end of the drawer to engage and slide thereon.

4. A knock-down cabinet for filing cases, comprising, a base frame, and a top frame, each frame composed of a pair of longitudinal angle shaped strips connected at their oppositeends by cross strips, vertical strips for connecting said frames at their corners and side wall press board panels marginally engaged with said longitudinal angle shaped strips and vertical frame connecting strips respectively for the opposite sides of the cabinet.

5. A cabinet for a filing case, comprising, front and rear frames, said frames constituting fiat bar metal strips secured together at their ends, the side and top strips of each frame provided with a channel, longitudinal angle shaped strips connecting said frames, each having a longitudinal channel for the reception of an edge of a wall panel, and press board panels respectively for the opposite sides and top of the cabinet, said panels having their margins socketed into the channels of said frames, and frame connecting strips.

6. A cabinet for a filing case, comprising, front and rear frames, each frame composed of sections detachably secured together, longitudinal angle shaped strips connecting said frames, each permanently secured to one of the sections of said front and rear frames, and press board panels respectively for the opposite sides and top of the cabinet, said panels having their margins socketed into channels for said frames,

and frame connecting strips.

'7. A cabinet for a filing case, comprising, front and rear rectangular frames, each of sections of fiat bar metal detachably secured together, angle shaped strips connecting said frames at the'corners thereof and permanently secured to one of the sections of said frames, the strips for the lower corners providing longitudinal slide ways for a drawer inserted within the cabinet, and press board panels respectively for the opposite sides and top of the cabinet marginally loosely engaged within channels in said front and rear frames, and connecting strips.

8. A cabinet for filing cases, comprising, front and rear rectangular frames, each of sections of flat bar metal detachably secured together, sheet metal channels secured to the inner side of the top at opposite side sections of said frame for a slip joint connection with an edge of a press board Wall panel of the cabinet, angle strips connecting said front and rear frames in thecorners thereof, said angle strips provided with one or a plurality of channels for a slip joint connection of a press board wall panel of the cabinet, and press board wall panels for the opposite sides and top of the cabinet engaged within channels in said front and rear frames and connecting strips.

FRED A. SCHMITZ. 

